


What Shines Brighter Than Stars?

by Boldly_going_places



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: @bungie tell us more about the civilians i have a mighty need, Just making up stuff as I go along, Mention of drunk characters, Pre-Canon, civilians in the City, not with the plot with the universe, set before the game takes place
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-18 23:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5948098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boldly_going_places/pseuds/Boldly_going_places
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Orion Megdelion lived in the Mid-City, a stuffy, desolate place that left the citizens feeling dreary and useless. She didn't have huge dreams: only to move to the City under the Tower, maybe get a job that paid enough for her to go to college and adopt a dog...get somewhere in her small world. In the process, her world got so much bigger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Exhibition

Orion lived in the Hualker Building her whole life. It was situated in the Mid City: a stuffy part of the City, both in space and atmosphere. Buildings crowded one another, some so close it was only a short jump into a person’s living room or kitchen. People only traveled through the Mid City if it was for work, and those who lived there stayed inside or spent their days elsewhere.

The Hualker Building was tall, but not the tallest. It had enough rooms for all the kids who didn’t have anybody to take care of them, Orion being one of them. They were a little rowdy every once in awhile, but adults were quick enough to shut them down.

“Hey, Marcus! Let’s go, Maggie’s art exhibit opens in an hour and the next train leaves in ten minutes!” Orion hollered up to her friend, Marcus, who was probably taking too long on touching up his outfit.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” Marcus said as he thumped down the stairs, his outfit somehow a perfect mix of casual and formal, a nice jacket paired with a mediocre t-shirt and jeans. “How am I?”

In a fake, awful, posh accent, Orion flicked her hand and said, “Just gorgeous, darling.”

Marcus smiled and they linked arms.

They stopped in the lobby to sign out. Miss Garadeau--a small grey-haired lady who took knitting classes online, and who happened to be the building supervisor (not for the building, for the children)--looked up from her tablet as the two reached for the clipboard.

“Where are you two love birds going?” She asked.

Marcus rolled his eyes. “I’ve told you before, Miss Garadeau, I’m gay. Orion is my best friend, not my lover.”

Miss Garadeau shrugged. “Same thing. The question still stands, deary.”

“We’re going to Maggie’s art exhibit. She wanted us to be there early,” Orion said, “Moral support, y’know?”

“Alright, well you two kiddies have fun.” Miss Garadeau said, turning back to her tablet.

Orion and Marcus weren’t the only ones from the Hualker Building who were going to see Maggie’s exhibit that day, but they were the first to leave.

Maggie was the third wheel in the machine of friendship, that friendship being Orion, Marcus, and Maggie. Maggie brought the most love and creativity out of the three of them. It kept them running.

As they stepped out into the hot sunlight, the foretelling of a storm was in the air. It was humid, heavy, making every breath feel laborious. Orion made a face at the weather. It wasn’t supposed to be this hot today, but meteorologists weren’t magic. And neither, it seemed, was the Traveler.

Marcus seemed more concerned about his shoes than the heat, as he stepped over every piece of dirt and trash on the ground, and Orion found herself having to pull him along to keep the pace reasonable.

“If you make me ruin these shoes I will cry,” he said. “They are expensive to my soul.”

“Okay and if we’re late, I’ll just tell Maggie you thought a pair of shoes was more important than supporting her,” Orion said, and kept tugging Marcus against his protests.

They arrived at the subway just as the train doors were closing. Orion rushed to hold them open, pulling Marcus on with her. The morning work rush had already ended, and there weren’t too many people left. One guy was nearly taking up a few seats while just sitting. Marcus and Orion exchanged a look--what a _dick_. At least there weren’t more people.

As the train took off, Orion shuffled over to some seats that weren’t occupied by a manspreader. The ride was smooth and quick; Orion stared out the window at the walls of the underground, Marcus leaning against her. It was a ten minute travel by train from the Mid City to buildings by the Tower, where Maggie’s exhibition was.

The train pulled into a few stops along the way, then they came to the last station--all the passenger filtered out, Marcus and Orion coming last.

“Let’s go!” Marcus said and the two went running up the stairs, to the City in the Tower’s shadow.

This part of the City wasn’t so congested: it had rooftop gardens and trees, and even some pigeons, which never braved the thick air of the Mid City. There were small, local cafes where it wasn't hard to find people sipping a coffee or having a chat with a friend. People were rushing through the Mid City to get here. Orion was, too. She had put a request through the Child Care System to get an apartment by the Tower, but that was only a week ago, and it was pretty unlikely unless, for some reason, she stood out from the rest of the kids who applied for an apartment there monthly.

Both Orion and Marcus took a long inhale of the fresher air. It was still humid, but it wasn’t stifling; the sun still beat down on them, but it warmed them instead of burning them.

They took another moment relishing in this part of the City before moving on, Marcus walking in front of Orion, their hands clasped together. He glowed with rejuvenation from the clean air, and Orion was sure she looked just as bright and bouncy as Marcus (not quite, though, as she tended to have a resting bitch face and a not so chirpy aura). They walked along the bustling city streets, Marcus commenting on somebody’s outfit or an especially cute pigeon, and Orion nodded or laughed. It was always more fun to brave the streets with a friend

As they were about to take the turn to get to the Thedeola Art Gallery where Maggie would be presenting, they saw two people fighting in the middle of the sidewalk. Not two civilians, though...two _Guardians_. The little AI units that Orion knew as Ghosts were floating around them in what only could be described as anxiousness, and maybe a little embarrassment--she would be embarrassed if she was around people acting the way they were. The two Guardians were clearly intoxicated; there would be no other reason they would acting like over-grown children.

Orion gawked at the two grown ass people duking it out in public. Didn’t Guardians have a special arena they could do that in? One of the Guardians got knocked out by the other, and Orion raised her eyebrows and muttered a “holy shit”. Marcus shoved Orion in front of himself, hiding behind his friend.

“Marcus,” Orion said through her teeth. She looked back and forth to see if there was anybody else on the street who could help, but everyone turned their backs and minded their own business. 

The Guardian stumbled towards Orion and Marcus. “What are you lookin’ at?” They slurred.

“Okay, Guardian, we’re going,” the little Ghost said, getting in front of it’s Guardian and transmatting them away.

Orion scrunched her eyebrows, whispered a _what the fuck_ , and shook her head. Man. Guardians may protect the City, but they were _weird_.

“Well, okay…” Marcus said, slinking from behind Orion. She looked at him, his face a little red, and he was chewing the inside of his cheek. “Let’s just...Let’s just go.”

Orion nodded. She grabbed Marcus’ hand again, which was shaking and sweaty, and they walked next to each other. Whenever they saw anybody drunk, Marcus got nervous, sweaty, anxious. They were best friends, but Marcus never offered a backstory to his anxiety, and Orion respected that, as long as it wasn't hurting anybody.

They walked over the Guardian’s limp body. The Ghost was floating about it in distress; it looked at the two then transmatted both the Guardian and itself away.

Orion glanced at Marcus, who visibly shook off his discomfort, and they continued on. Weird things happened in the City, and sometimes people had to suck it up and move on.

At the art exhibit, only a block more away, Maggie was waiting for them at the door. She was looking either way down the street, pacing, stopping to look at her phone, then up at the sky. Orion glanced at her watch. They were three minutes late

“Hey!” Marcus yelled, letting go of Orion’s hand and jogging over to Maggie, who perked up, and pulled him into a warm hug. He was invigorated once again by the sight of their friend. Orion smiled and strode over to the two, embracing Maggie when she got there.

“Hey,” Orion said. “Sorry we’re late, we got held up.”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’m okay,” Maggie said, putting her phone away. “I just thought, maybe, you wouldn’t come earlier.”

Marcus pulled Maggie into another hug. “If the City were descending into Darkness and the Fallen were taking over, we’d still come as early as you wanted us to.”

Maggie smiled, grabbed both Orion’s and Marcus’ hands and led them into the art gallery. It wasn’t the biggest gallery in the City, but it was arguably the most popular.

The Theodola Art Gallery--named after the renowned Golden Age artist Helen Theodola--collected not only work from the Golden Age, but also pieces by up and coming artists of the City. It was also known for running youth art competitions throughout the City, through the Child Care System, which was how Maggie got her art featured.

And it was astonishing. The minute Orion laid her eyes on Maggie’s art, her mouth dropped open and tears dared to fall from her eyes.

Maggie had done, what at first appeared to be oils on canvas--and even if it was just that, it was still an impressive piece--but she had gone beyond what Orion had ever seen her friend, or anyone else, do. Mixed in the paint was fragments of Light. The actual picture was of the three of them floating about the stars...but the stars weren’t painted with the Light paint. Marcus and Orion were. It made them glow. Maggie looked between her two friends, shifting from foot to foot.

When neither Marcus or Orion said anything for a few minutes, Maggie said quietly, “I don’t know, I guess it’s not--”

“This is beautiful.” “You’re a genius.” Both Marcus and Orion said, snapping their gazes back to Maggie, not quite believing that she would think it was anything less than amazing.

Maggie shrugged.

“Hey, Maggie, your exhibition’s opening up in ten!” An exo hollered to them, before going back to the front desk.

“Oh my god.” Maggie straightened out her dress, wiped off non-existent dirt. She paced back and forth, then looked at her friends. “I’m not ready.” She said. “I can’t do this. Nobody’s gonna get it.”

Orion stopped her pacing, put her hands on Maggie’s shoulders and looked at her in the eyes. “Listen, Mags. You are an amazing, innovative artist, and this piece is the best example of that. If you sucked, and if they didn’t get ‘it’, they wouldn’t have chosen your art work. And if I, your artistically challenged best friend, can get it, then I’m sure artistically inclined people are not going to have a problem understanding. Now breath.”

Maggie nodded her head and took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders, and closing her eyes for a count of ten.

“Let’s do this,” Marcus said, and the three of them waited.

Just about ten minutes later, people trickled into the museum, some for the permanent exhibits, some to see specifically Maggie’s piece, and some just enjoying art in general. 

A lot of kids from the Hualker Building came, embracing Maggie, complimenting her piece, which they all agreed was amazing. Miss Garadeau even showed up around twelve thirty. She hugged Maggie and nearly cried while admiring the art piece, professing that Maggie was a “new age scholar” and an absolute genius.

It was just around three (after they ate lunch and Marcus and Orion told Maggie about the drunk Guardians, and the last big rush of people had come in), when a few Guardians came in, their Ghosts floating close by.

Orion exchanged a glance with Marcus, who rolled his eyes. She recollected the events of that morning: the drunken Guardians, distraught Ghosts, Marcus trying not to cry. Assholes.

These Guardians were completely sober, though, and seemed to respect the people and place surrounding them. They pointed to some of the other paintings, sharing a joke, laughing. Maggie put on a warm smile as they approached.

“Hello,” she said when they started admiring her piece.

“Hey,” the tallest one said. She had a casual outfit on, tight black jeans, a t-shirt adorning the logo for a band that Orion didn’t know. It would be hard to tell her apart from a civilian if it wasn’t for her Ghost. “Nice piece.”

“Thank you,” Maggie said.

There were a few more beats of silence before one of the other Guardian’s asked: “What’s that shiny stuff?”

“It’s Light,” Maggie said, “I infused it into the paint I used to paint these two.”

“That’s amazing,” a Ghost said, “I’ve never seen Light used in this fashion.”

“Thank you.” Maggie blushed under the praise.

Orion, on the other hand, grinned with pride for her friend. Marcus did the same, nudging Orion in the ribs and nodding his head, like ‘I told her people would get it’. People could’ve mistaken them for two proud parents from the way they were acting.

“That’s gnarly, yo,” another Guardian said. He went up to give a high five and Maggie reciprocated the gesture.

There was another awkward moment of the Guardians admiring the work, before the tallest Guardian said “good job” and they walked off.

Maggie looked over at Orion and Marcus and smiled a little sheepishly. “I didn’t handle myself that well.”

“To be fair, they didn’t really help either,” Orion said.

“You got a high five from a stranger, though. What’s better than that?” Marcus said.

“Not having to talk to strangers?” Maggie said.

Maggie was only required to stay until four (in turn, Orion and Marcus took it as their obligation to stay that long, too), and the minute the clock proclaimed that time, she whizzed out of the gallery with Marcus and Orion in tow, only stopping to say ‘bye’ and ‘thanks’ to the curators and receptionists. There was only so long a person could take endless praise and awkward art-talk with strangers (and Maggie’s tolerance for that was low).

They got back to Hualker Building not only twenty minutes later, through the subways, the stuffy streets of the Mid City, by Miss Garadeau--who once again complimented Maggie’s art--and up onto their floor. Even though it was only 4:20, Maggie collapsed onto the commons couch and let out a huge breath. Marcus flopped into an armchair and Orion positioned herself next to Maggie on the couch.

“I don’t have to do that again, right?” Maggie asked, and the three of them laughed, even though it wasn't a joke.

“If you don’t want to be a successful artist,” Marcus said. Maggie groaned, shoving her face into the couch cushion.

The three of them reclined, laughed, talked, and didn’t worry too much about tomorrow or yesterday or even an hour ago. The fact was, they were happy, and together, even in a city that never felt quite safe.

Two of those things would stay the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, 4:20 blaze it.  
> Beyond that, thank you for reading, I really appreciate it! I love the idea of the civilian life of the City, and especially for kids, because they've got to exist, right? This is my interpretation of what the City is like. This first chapter is about world building (I wish I could just write up a big thing about my head canons, but hey) mostly, but there will be more exciting things to come very soon, and I'll bring forward some characters you know and love (who's unafraid to step in, everybody give it up for America's favorite fighting frenchman LAFAYETTE). Whoo, Hamilton is everywhere. Anyways, thanks for reading again, and I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.


	2. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Storms are nice to Orion. That's pretty normal, right?

_When Orion awoke from a strange dream at two in the morning, it was pouring outside. She could hear it pounding onto the streets below and the roof above. Lightning exposed the room: her nightstand and lamp; the case of pinned butterflies she found on a venture into the abandoned City; a stack of papers strewn across her desk. There weren’t normally storms under the Traveler’s shadow. Orion curled back up, planning on going back to sleep, but the rain and thunder and lightning was new._

_With a conceding sigh, Orion got up, taking her blanket with her, and pulled back her curtains to see outside. The way the rain made the pavement below glow, and the lightning illuminated the skyscrapers was impressive, and Orion forgot to breath. It gave her a glance of the night City. She didn’t turn on the light in her room. All around her was dark, there was no glow from the moon, and the Traveler’s Light was distant, nearly non-existent. Orion relished in the quiet, but energized, night._

 

“I got a message from one of the gallery’s curators, and it said that the Vanguard saw my painting and wanted to talk to me about my use of Light.” 

It was a cool day after a night of rain, even in the Mid City. Marcus, Orion, and Maggie were in Hogons’ Cafe, a small place that served cheap breakfast, both in price and quality, but it was the quickest place to pick up food before school.

“Are you gonna talk to them?” Orion asked. She was the last one waiting for her food. Marcus and Maggie were polite enough to wait until she got hers, then they were out of there.

“You gotta,” Marcus said.

Maggie shrugged. “It’s really none of their business. I mean, wouldn’t talking to somebody who knew about Light more be better?”

“Oh yeah, it’s not like they’re surrounded by the stuff all the time and use it daily to take out opposing forces…” Marcus said sarcastically.

“I don’t know, I just don’t want a bunch of people I don’t know to know about me. Art is intimate,” Maggie said. “The process of making it is intimate. I don’t know, I don’t want strangers to see that.”

“It’s not sex,” Marcus said.

Maggie scoffed. “Really? There are other intimate things besides sex. And for me, painting happens to be one of them.” 

“They don’t want to see you paint, right? I mean, why would they want to talk to you in the first place?” Orion asked. 

“Like I said, they’re interested in my use of Light. I never thought about it before, but Guardians are the only ones who can use Light,” Maggie fiddled with her bracelets. “I guess it’s a little weird that I can use Light. To them at least.” 

“It’s not like you were using it to, like, do the weird magic stuff they do. It was art, y’know?” Marcus said.

“I don’t think they see me as a threat or anything,” Maggie said. “I hope not, at least.”

“They’re probably interested in _why_ rather than _what awful thing is this shy sixteen year old going to do_.” Orion said. “It would be pretty cool to just meet the Guardian Vanguard, though. But it’s up to you.”

“Yeah, it’s _totally_ up to you. I mean, it’s not like this is a _once in a lifetime opportunity_ or anything, right?” Marcus said.

A group of workers walked into get breakfast. Orion rubbed the back of her neck. She had fallen asleep at the window last night without realizing it. She looked at the time: 8:30.  
“Orion!” A cook hollered.

“Sweet, thanks, man,” Orion said and grabbed the wrapped food from her. “Let’s get going, we don’t wanna be late.”

Maggie, Marcus, and Orion left the cafe, into the soft sunlight, the bustle of the City embracing them as they walked down to the subway station. Orion heard a passing conversation: 

“Listen I’m not saying I would, I’m just saying for the right amount of money--”

“For the right amount of glimmer you’d do anything.”

Sounded like a conversation she heard before. Between her and Marcus. 

“That’s true but--”

Yep. Definitely something they’d said to each other before. 

The ten minute ride from Hogons’ Cafe to school consisted of them eating, unwrapping egg sandwiches, taking in a deep breath to appreciate the smells of cheap breakfast food. Yeah. That was the good stuff. By the time the train stopped, Orion had eaten every last crumb of her sandwich, and the three walked out of the station, back above ground. Marcus and Maggie ran off to see something. 

Orion was going to follow them, but was caught by surprise when somebody grabbed her arm. She was prepared to holler and hit, but the person let go. It was a Guardian. 

“I--I’m sorry, I thought...I thought you were Terr--I thought you were someone I knew,” she said. “I…” The Guardian stared at Orion with glazed over eyes for a few moments, then spun around and shuffled away. God, what was _up_ with Guardians these days?

Orion looked over to her friends for confirmation that that did just happen, but Marcus and Maggie didn’t notice. They were looking at a little, fat pigeon that was pecking at some stale bread on the ground. She shook her head, shrugged and walked to her friends. Weird things happened.

“I think I’m going to talk to the Vanguard,” Maggie said.

“Damn right,” Marcus said.

“You’re right, Orion, about what you said before. I mean, it’s not like they’re accusing me of anything,” Maggie said. “Mine as well go talk to them.” 

Orion nodded. 

Just as they were turning to corner from the substation, Orion looked back to see if the Guardian was creeping. And there was the Guardian that had grabbed her, staring after them. It made her uneasy.

“C’mon, guys, we don’t want to be late to school,” Orion said and not so casually pushed Marcus and Maggie to move quicker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for reading. I know this took forever and wasn't that long, but I've been pretty busy. I'll try to get the next chapter in the next two weeks or so. I know it's short, but it's important. And the next chapter, I'm 90% sure the Vanguard will show up. Also, a quick sidenote about pigeons, because I've mentioned them before: they're really not what they looked like during the Golden Age, but since civilians don't know that, they find the pigeons now cute (at least Marcus and Maggie do). I imagine them almost like exposed to radiation. And the City, in my mind, has become self sufficient, with tons of roof top gardens and food synthesizers, and stuff, so cheap breakfast food is 100% legit.  
> If there's anything major that I didn't get quite right universe wise, just let me know and I'll keep it in mind next chapter. Some exciting stuff is coming up. Shoutout to my beta reader anavengerstolethetardis. So many thanks. Thank you, again, so much for reading, I love knowing that others appreciate and like what I write.


	3. The Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orion listens, mostly, to her friend making a decision that she has no control over, and meets that Guardian who stared after her.

Orion wasn’t sure whether the Tower was safer than the City. There were less people in the Tower, but they all seemed more important, _acted_ more important. There were more Guardians in the Tower, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about Guardians in general. The food wasn’t much better than at Hogons’ Cafe here: all synthesized, replicated stuff, with an occasional salad, maybe. The Tower wasn’t the same as the City, sure, but it didn’t mean it was better or safer.

Orion had to admit, though, the view was amazing: the Traveler’s shell reflected the sun’s rays, the City’s gardens bloomed on every rooftop, and the Tower's base was shrouded in mist. She looked out towards the Mid City, hoping it might hold some air of fanaticism, but even from here it was a dull and vacant sight.

“We should go now,” Maggie said. She was leaning on the railing next to Orion.

“You’ve said that a few times,” Orion said. “You mean it this time?”

“...Sure.” She had said that a few times, too. 

Orion rolled her eyes. If Marcus were here, they’d be down to the Hall of Guardians quite a while ago. He had to complete volunteer hours, the mandatory time all children over the age of thirteen had to complete (50 hours) in the City, which he had been putting off for far too long--he would’ve come if he could've. 

Orion expected to be sitting there for another five or ten (or twenty?) minutes, waiting for Maggie to make her way into the Hall of Guardians, but Maggie, instead, pushed herself off the railing and walked toward the hall, head held high and pretending to be confident. Orion smiled at her friend, and followed her.

But the minute the Vanguard came in sight, Maggie faltered. She stumbled and pulled Orion to the side, out of sight of the Vanguard. 

“I changed my mind, I can’t do this. Did you see the big guy at the end? If we fought, he would win, Orion. He would win,” Maggie whispered. She held her face in her hands. Orion rolled her eyes and sighed. She loved Maggie, and wouldn’t make her do anything she didn’t want to do, but this? This was a lot more important than going for a walk or baking cookies.

“Listen, bro, I get it, but c’mon. You can’t go back on your word.” Orion grabbed her friend’s arm and pulled her along, past the Crucible overseer, Lord Shaxx, and the frame that worked with him, past the mechanics working on different security implements and kiosks, right into the Hall of Guardians. 

Maggie was horrified, stock still and bright red; Orion still grasped her arm to make sure she didn’t try to flee again.

“Orion,” Maggie said, meek and a little pathetic.

“Put on those big kid pants and get yourself together,” Orion said, and dragged her further down to the pit.

“Listen, Ikora, I’m just saying, I’d be surprised if those Guardians came back from Venus with anything more than a few Vex parts and a bunch of spirit blooms. If they do, how about this, I’ll owe you a good 120 glimmer. Sound fair?” Cayde-6, whom Orion recognized as the hunter Vanguard from the news and different speeches, seemed to be reading through files about Venus on his tablet.

The Warlock Vanguard (Orion recognized her, too), Ikora Rey, snorted. “And if they don’t? I owe you 120 glimmer?”

“Well, yeah, it only seems fair,” Cayde said. 

The Titan Vanguard noticed Orion and Maggie before they could interrupt. Commander Zavala, the big guy Maggie was so afraid of, rose above the table like a powerful but benevolent supervisor who could destroy them with a single look. Orion hoped he didn’t.

“Citizens. Do you need something?” Commander Zavala’s voice boomed across the table and diverted both the Hunter’s and Warlock’s attention to the girls at the base of the stairs.

Now, Orion didn’t think she’d be intimidated by a few adults--adults were adults were adults, there was nothing special about them--but theses adults were big and powerful and shameless and she found herself at a loss of words for a few seconds. The adults she knew were approachable or meek or both. 

Orion cleared her throat. “Hey. I’m Orion Megdelion and this is my friend Maggie Anderson.”

“I’m here because I received a notification that the Vanguard--you--were interested in my use of Light in my artwork.” Maggie pulled her arm out of Orion’s grip, which Orion hadn't realized she was still holding, and stepped forward. “And…” Her short lived confidence grew vacant. 

Ikora Rey studied Maggie then Orion. There were 30 seconds of complete silence between the five of them (or four of them, as Commander Zavala had focused back on his tablet the minute Maggie had mentioned her artwork). 

Cayde-6 started to speak the same time Ikora Rey did, and, not to Orion’s surprise, Cayde-6 shut his mouth and let Ikora Rey speak.

“Ms. Anderson...Your art was impressive, both in style and your use of Light. I’m impressed and intrigued. We don’t consider you a threat, but I would like to understand how you can use Light in such a manner--or use it all for that matter,” Ikora Rey said. Maggie nodded. Ikora addressed her coworkers, “If you two could take over for me for a short while I talk to Ms. Anderson, it would be greatly appreciated. And Cayde, please take a moment to look over those Traveler readings I gave you. They may actually be interesting. ” 

Cayde-6 and Commander Zavala gave Ikora a curt nod and went back to messing around with their tablets and holo-tables. Orion looked over to Maggie, who’s eyes went wide in horror. _Just talk to Maggie?_ Orion thought, _well, man._

“Ms. Megdelion, you may join us,” Ikora Rey said, and Maggie exhaled. Ikora Rey led the girls from the Hall of Guardians. “I had first seen your art as a suggestion from a Guardian who I respect greatly. She said your art was a feat she had never seen another person accomplish, Guardian or otherwise, and it would be of great interest to the Vanguard and Speaker to try to understand it. I saw your painting without any understanding of what I would see or feel--what I saw--well what I saw was impressive. A person your age painting with such skill and finesse…I’m no art critic Ms. Anderson, but your piece was a feat unto itself.”

“Thank you,” Maggie said, blushing, and Ikora Rey nodded to her.  
“That was not the part that...surprised me the most, though. When I looked at your painting, I was drawn to it, not a psychological or emotional pull, but a physical one. The Light within your painting created something--akin to a gravitational field, a magnetic field, what have you--that seemed to not affect the other civilian viewers of the piece. The Guardian who had told me had explained this to me, but I couldn’t reasonably believe something so...fanciful.” 

“A force field?” Maggie said, eyebrows scrunched up.

“Yes. A force pulling me toward the Light in your painting. It was strange and difficult to understand,” Ikora Rey said. “Even the most powerful manifestations of Light don’t hold so much physical sway over Guardians.” 

They stood now in the commons area, the sun reaching down to them, making Ikora Rey like brighter, yet somehow more serious, more real. 

Orion felt insignificant compared to Ikora. She was tall, regal, and Orion thought she could’ve been royalty in her past life, before her Ghost resurrected her. Ikora looked like she knew so much, but at the same time was ravenous for more knowledge, and there was a brightness about her, an aura that was stronger than the other Guardians Orion had been around.

“So...is that what you wanted to ask me about?” Maggie asked and wrung her hands behind her back.

“Yes. That was the most befuddling part. And that you could use Light at all, especially in such a manner. I’ve seen certain Guardians use Light in non-violent ways: communicating in a place where they can’t talk, summoning our Ghosts, resurrecting other Guardians, but it’s mostly for grenades or Warlocks using their abilities. You, Ms. Anderson, are something I’ve never seen before.

“Do you have any idea how you do it?” Ikora asked as she turned to Maggie. Orion noticed something change in her eyes, a new light, not from the Traveler, but something purely human and hungry. 

Maggie gulped. “I...I don’t know. I was painting and my hands started glowing, I guess, and I had this urge to paint with it...So I did. I mixed it with the paint, and the painting happened.” 

“Light just began forming in your hand with no prompting? Not even a slight thought of it?” Ikora leaned in.

“Not really…” Maggie said, and looked down at the ground.

Ikora shook her head the slightest bit and turned away. 

Orion shifted, looked to Maggie who was still looking at the ground, and stepped toward Ikora. “Miss Rey--”

“Please, Ikora is fine.”

“Ikora...I don’t think there is an explanation for what Maggie did, or can do. When people do stuff that they love doing or are passionate about, I think there’s a special kind of Light that happens, y’know? That’s probably what happened with Maggie,” Orion said. Maggie looked at her friend, appreciation glowing on her face. Orion knew she was intimidated by the taller and older woman and would soon be turned into a nervous wreck, no matter the intentions of Ikora.

Ikora turned and raised an eyebrow at the girl. “Are you implying that every living being has the capacity to create Light from doing something they’re passionate about?”

Orion shrugged. “Why not?” 

Ikora smiled at her. “Well. That is quite a theory, and one that is very possible. That could be an explanation for why, but it’s also important to understand if it’s the same substance as the Light Guardian’s use in the field, and off, and if not, what it is.” Ikora looked at Maggie. “As far as we know, you’re the first non-Guardian to display use of Light. Therefore, you’re the best lead we have to studying this further.”

“I’m not going to be a test subject,” Maggie said. Her back straightened out, she stood head on to Ikora; her jaw clenched and any semblance of a smile had disappeared completely. 

Orion raised her eyebrows. She had never heard Maggie speak so forcefully to a virtual stranger before, or to anybody for that matter. 

Even Ikora seemed a bit surprised, as it took her a moment to continue. “I wouldn’t call you a ‘test subject’, and even seeing how you form Light could help us understand it. But,” Ikora put up her hand before Maggie could protest again, “I understand. I would not like to put somebody into a study they do not consent to. I, or anyone in the Vanguard, would not do that to you.”

Maggie nodded, backed off a little, but still held her defensive posture. 

“However, I would like to request that we could study the Light in your painting,” Ikora said.

“You want to take my painting?” Maggie asked. 

“Only for a short time. And not until the exhibit is closed, of course. Once we’re done studying the Light, you can have it back, as well as a payment for lending your creation to the Vanguard and to the progression of the City.”

Maggie looked to Orion and Orion looked back. It wasn’t Orion’s call to make (if it was her, she would’ve taken up the offer, and probably would’ve participated in whatever study Ikora had in mind. But Maggie wasn’t Orion).

“Can we...talk about it for a minute?” Maggie gestured to Orion. Ikora nodded, and Maggie pulled her friend aside. In a hushed tone, she asked: “What should I do?” 

“I’m not you, man, I can’t make these types of decisions for you. I mean, it is a pretty big deal and would probably get you a lot of good publicity for it...not saying that everything is about getting well known, though” Orion said in reply to her friends annoyed eye-roll. 

“Yeah, but then people will badgering me about more art like that, and I don’t know if I can. And people in general make me anxious,” Maggie said. “And it’s probably a pretty normal thing, anyways. I’m not anything special.”

It was Orion's turn to roll her eyes. “I get that you don’t think that what you did, and probably can still do, isn’t extraordinary, but here’s the deal: you’re pretty goddamn special, Maggie, and it’s not just about people knowing who you are, but people understanding things that could help others in the future. I’m not saying you gotta do this, but you’re special, and Ikora Rey might just be able to help you find out what kind of special you are.”

Maggie looked at the sky, sighed, and looked at Orion. The girls looked into each other’s eyes, Orion knowing that Maggie was mulling over all the pros and cons in her head, planning out all the things that could go so wrong, the worst case scenario, then jumping back to all the things that could go right, but never quite touching the best case scenarios.

Maggie closed her eyes and sighed. “Okay.” 

Orion knew from past experience that her saying ‘okay’ didn’t always mean she was going to say yes, but figured whatever decision Maggie made was going to be the right decision for her.

Maggie walked back to Ikora. “You can borrow my painting once it’s out of the gallery. But, I don’t want it to be destroyed or taken apart or anything. I know you probably won’t, but that’s the deal. And there has to be a contract in writing and signed by both parties.” 

Ikora smiled admiringly at Maggie’s sensibility. “Of course.”

“Hold up, don’t you need an adult to sign it, though? ‘Cause you’re still a minor, and all?” Orion asked. 

“Oh...yeah, I guess I do,” Maggie said, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully, her authoritative everything gone with one simple gesture. “Um, maybe I could--”  
“I’ll send the contract down to your supervisor and have you both sign it. Whatever we find in our study, I’ll have it sent to you,” Ikora said. 

Maggie nodded. “Thank you, Ikora.”

“And thank you, Ms. Anderson. Knowledge is a favor that is hard to pay back. If you have any questions, you can contact me through this number.” Ikora handed Maggie a card. “I have to return to my duties. It was a pleasure. Have a nice day, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Megdelion.”

“You too,” both girls said, and watched Ikora stride back to the hall. _Yeah, she was definitely royalty_.

Orion looked over to Maggie and smiled at her. “You made a good choice.”

Maggie shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

They walked back towards the holo-vators, but somebody caught Orion’s eye--the Guardian who had stopped her on the subway the other day. Now, normally Orion let things like that go, but there was something about this Guardian, something that almost seemed familiar, or something, and it bothered her. 

“Hey, I see somebody I know, I’m just gonna say hi real quick,” Orion said.

“Orion, you’re not going off by your--”

“It’ll only be a second.” Orion said, brushing her off, and stalked over to the Guardian who was talking to a postmaster. 

“Yeah, well, it’s mine, now. I can’t believe somebody would just throw out an engram this is awesome.” The Guardian said, her Ghost transmatting the engram to subspace. “Thanks.”

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Orion said, jogging to catch the Guardian before she walked off.

“No need to call me ma’am, I’m not that old,” the Guardian said and turned. The minute she laid eyes Orion, she grimaced and walked away, saying over her shoulder, “listen, I’m really sorry about stopping you yesterday. I made a mistake, it’s not a big deal.”

“It totally is, though. You don’t keep looking after somebody you mistook for somebody else. Who do I look like to you?” Orion asked, forgetting all manners of human decency and grabbing the Guardian’s arm.

The Guardian turned to Orion and pulled her arm away. There was a moment of silence, one that left Orion impatient--something she hardly got--and the Guardian took a long deep breath.

“You remind me of a Guardian named Terrien. She was on my fireteam the first year I was resurrected. That’s all.” The Guardian said.

And Orion, off some crazy idea, blurted out, “I’m an orphan.”

The Guardian raised an eyebrow, as if asking why it mattered. Orion blushed. 

“What I mean is…” She mumbled. 

The Guardian kept staring at Orion skeptically, at first, then something overcame the Guardian’s face that Orion couldn’t decipher or understand...a thought. But the Guardian shook her head, wiped it away.

“Terrien had a pretty common face structure,” she said to herself, then to Orion, “I’m not trying to be dismissive, but , there are _a lot_ of orphaned kids in this city. And I just don’t want you to think...I mean, as far as I know, Terrien’s never had kids.”

“Is she still around?” Orion asked, and she knew she sounded like a little kid, naive, but she couldn’t help it. Who her parents were didn’t eat away at her or keep her up for hours at a time like it did with some kids, but the thought of maybe meeting the person who birthed her was tempting. “Just in case.” 

The Guardian squinted her eyes at Orion, and studied her, as if Orion was planning some intricate scheme against Terrien. There was another few moments of silent speculation on the Guardian’s part, and Orion felt like she was going through security at a fancy party and even though she didn’t have any weapons, just the thought of being caught for something she didn’t do made her anxious. Orion chewed the inside of her lip.

The Guardian seemed to come to a conclusion, because she said, “Yeah, she is. She’s on a mission for--she’s on a mission right now, but she’ll be back. I’ll let you know when she is. But...don’t be disappointed, okay?”

Orion nodded. “Thank you.” She pulled out her phone, “Here’s my contact information. Hey, man, really thank you.” 

“No problem. My name’s Wilnfred, by the way.” 

“I’m Orion.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it! I know that I suck at updating, and that'll probably continue, but I hope you're enjoying the story, and the introduction of Ikora (she's my fav). Leave love, tell me what you think, more stuff'll happen, I got an idea up my sleeve. Thanks to my beta reader, anavengerstolethetardis, you're awesome. I'll try to make the next update a little quicker, but I can't promise anything.


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